Cushioning mechanism



W. H. MUSSEY cUsHIoNING MECHANISM June 27, 1939.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 9, 1937 Mnk'lmv@ ATTO R N EYS` 'June 27, 1939. w, H MUSSEY 2,164,160

CUSHIONING MECHANISM Filed June 9. 193'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @W0 Z Q12 @a www@ ATTO R N EYS Patented June 27, 1939 CUSHIONING MECHANISM William H. Mussey, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application June 9, 1937, Serial No. 147,205

Claims.

This `invention relates to coupling and draft mechanisms for use on railway vehicles, such as cars or motive power units, and is concerned more particularly with a novel apparatus for connecting together the units of a train which operates with a smooth cushioning action and has great capacity and ruggedness so that it is suitable for severe conditions of service. The apparatus of the invention may be employed with slight changes in railway vehicles of various types, capacities, and sizes, but since it offers special advantages when employed on freight cars, an embodiment of the invention suitable for that purpose will be described in detail for purposes of explanation.

The apparatus of the invention is so constructed that it may be used on railway vehicles having draft pockets of standard dimensions, and it includes a cushioning device in which the cushioning effect is obtained by the use of a resilient material, such as rubber or rubber compounds. The device contains cushioning elements in the form of metal plates carrying masses of rubber'on their opposed faces, and these plates, arranged in alternation`r with metal separator plates, are employed in the number required to give the device the desired characteristics. The rubber-bearing and separator plates used in the device are of the same shape and size, preferably circular, with the rubber masses in the form of concentric rings, and the device is mounted in the draft pocket in engagement with abutment means and is connected to the shank of the coupler by a yoke which encircles it.

The yoke employed in the apparatus is of novel construction, and in order that the desired number of plates may be readily installed in it under the necessary compression, the yoke is formed in two longitudinal sections, and after the plates have been placed in `position with respect to one section, the other is placed against the first and the sections are secured together by suitable means. With this arrangement, the longitudinal members of the yoke may have channels in their opposed faces shaped to receive the edges of the plates, and the plates may be installed in the yoke without the necessity of cutting away metal in the longitudinal members so as to provide access openings, for example, in the form of slots.

The cushioning device employed is preferably made up of two units which operate in alternation, and with a cushioning device of that construction, the yoke is provided with a cross bar which lies between the units and transmits forces from the yoke `to the units. The two units constitute the main cushioning device, and if it is desired to increase the capacity of the apparatus, a supplemental cushioning unit may be employed which absorbs forces in bui transmitted to it from the yoke through a suitable compression member.

For a better'understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal, horizontal sectional View, partly in plan, showing apparatus of the invention installed inthe draft pocket of the vehicle;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view, partly in side elevation, of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1;

Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are sectional views on the lines 3 3, 4 4, 5 5, 6 6, and 1 1, re- `spectively, of Figure 2;

Figures and A9 are plan and elevational views, respectively, of a yoke employed in the new apparatus;

Figures 10 and 11 are opposite end views of the yoke shown in Figure 9;

Figures 12 and 13 are sectional views on the lines l2 l2 and |3 |3, respectively, of Figure 9;

Figures 14 and I5 are perspective views of the two complementary sections of the yoke;

Figure 16 is a View in elevation with parts broken away of a rubber-bearing plate employed in the cushioning device of the new apparatus; and

Figure 17 is a sectional View illustrating the use of the rubber-bearing plate with adjacent spacer plates.

The apparatus illustrated in the drawings is of the type having a main cushioning device and a supplemental unit, and it includes a coupler 2U, the shank of which extends into the space between a pair of longitudinal sills 22 on the vehicle, which dene the walls of a draft'pocket. At the rear end, the shank is formed with spaced lugs 23 lying one above the other and having aligned openings therethrough. At the opposite ends of the draft pocket are abutment means which may be formed in various ways; in the construction illustrated, the front abutment is made up of stops 24 secured to the sills `22 by rivets or the like, while the rear abutment is formed of a pair of blocks 25, secured to the sills, preferably by welding.

Between the front and rear abutments is the cushioning device which may consist of a 4single cushioning means engaging the abutments and operatively connected to the shank of the coupler by a yoke, but preferably, the cushioning device includes a pair of cushioning units 26 operating in alternation, these units having follower blocks 21a., 21h at their remote ends and in contact with the abutments. Each unit includes a plurality of rubber-bearing plates 28 of circular shape carrying concentric rings 29 of rubber on their opposite faces, the rings on the two faces of each plate being connected togetherY by tongues 35 of the rubber which pass through openings in the plates. The rubber-bearing plates are arranged in alternation with circular sheet metal separator plates 3l of the same diameter.

The cushioning units making up the main cushioning device are encircled by a yoke 32 formed of a pair of longitudinal complementary sections 33a, 33h. Each section includes a pair of longitudinal members 34 connected together by an end member 35 and by a cross member 36, and attached to the free end of one of the longitudinal members of each section is an end member 31 having the form of a knuckle. When the sections are assembled, the faces of the longitudinal members 34 and end members 35 meet in a plane, while the faces of the end members 31 meet in a plane at right angles thereto. The meeting face of the cross member 36 of section 33a is formed with a lengthwise channel 38a which receives a mating rib 38D on the cross member 36 of section 33h` and the cross members are drilled for the reception of bolts 39 which assist in securing these sections together. If the cushioning apparatus is to include a supplemental cushioning unit, as in the contruction illustrated, the end members 35 are provided with projections 40 which cooperate to form a mounting for a compression member, the projections 40 being drilled to receive a bolt 4I which assists in securing the yoke sections together.

The end members 31 of the yoke cooperate to provide spaced lugs 42 with which the lugs 23 of the coupler shank are interleaved, and the lugs 42 are provided with aligned openings which may be placed in registry with the openings in the lugs 23 for the reception of a pivot pin 43. One of the end members 31 is provided with a boss 44 having a transverse bore in which may be inserted a pin 45 to pass through an opening in the pin 43 to hold the latter in position. The slot between the lugs 23 on the coupler shank and the slots between the lugs 42 on the yoke are so formed that when the lugs 23, 42 are connected together by pin 43, the ends of the lugs 23, 42 are free of the bottoms of the slots. All forces are, therefore, transmitted between the coupler and yoke through the pin 43, and the latter is subjected to shearing stresses. These stresses, however, are applied in four different planes and it is, therefore, unnecessary to use a pin of unusual size for the purpose.

Associated with the main cushioning device is the supplemental cushioning unit 46 which consists of a plurality of alternately arranged rubber-bearing and spacer plates preferably interchangeable with those in the main cushioning device, and here illustrated as circular. The supplemental unit is provided with a rear follower 41 engaging stops 48 secured to the longitudinal sills and with a front follower 49 provided with a projection 50 secured thereto as by welding. A compression member 5l of tubular form is mounted at one end upon the projection 5l) and at the other upon the projections 40 at the end of the yoke, the arrangement being such that when the yoke is moved back by a force in buff applied to the coupler, the force is applied to the front follower of the supplemental unit by the compression member. The member is slotted for the passage of the usual king pin 52 and it is supported slidably within a housing 53.

Housing 53 is of the construction illustrated and described in my copending application Serial No. 142,105, led May 12, 1937, and at its forward end, it is split at the top and bottom and the two portions 54 on either side of the slits are iiared and the ends of these portions spread apart so that they engage the blocks 25 while providing an opening into which the rear end member 35 of the yoke may be received. The housing 53 is supported by means of a plurality of longitudinal and transverse partition members 55, 56, respectively, which are welded to the sills. Forward of the transverse car body bolster formed of the members 51, there are eight longitudinal partition members 55 With intermediate members 56. In alignment with the bolster, four transverse partition members and flve longitudinal partitions may be used, two of the longitudinal partitions being disposed at the bottom of the housing and spaced to define a passage 58 for the king pin.

In the use of the interchangeable circular plates in the supplemental unit, provision must be made to support these plates, since they are not enclosed by a yoke. For this purpose, suitable iiller members 59, 6E), and 6l are mounted on the sills to engage the plates at the top, bottom, and sides, and hold them in proper relative position and these filler members preferably extend from the rear follower 41 to the first group of transverse partition members 56. members 60, which are bolted to angle irons 62 secured to the sills 22, serve as the supporting means for the supplemental unit, and the yoke and main unit are supported by a carry iron 63 bolted to the sills 22.

In the assembly of the apparatus, groups of rubber-bearing and separator plates forming the main cushioning units are installed in one section of the yoke, the longitudinal members 34 of which are channeled as indicated at 64. Since f one side of the section is open, the desired number of plates may be readily installed under the necessary compression, and after the plates have been placed in position, the other section is placed against the first with the faces of the longitudinal members 34 and end members 35 of the two sections in contact. At the same time, the knuckle members 31 lie with their opposed faces in contact and the end member 34 of each section lies against the inner face of the knuckle member of the other section and is secured thereto by welding, as indicated at 65. The supplemental unit is then placed in position, the compression member installed, and the yoke with the main cushioning units in place therein is inserted in the draft pocket from beneath, and moved endwise until the projections 40 thereon enter the compression member. The remaining operations necessary in completing the installation will be obvious.

By employing a yoke formed of two longitudinal sections, it is possible to make use of a cushioning device of circular section, without the necessity of forming the longitudinal members of the yoke with thin sections to provide access open- The ller l ings through which the device may be installed in the yoke. Also, although the plates are of relatively large diameter, the yoke is not weakened by their use because oi the additional metal in the longitudinal members at the sides of the channels 64. The cross piece 36 of the yoke preferably extends out beyond the longitudinal members as indicated at 66, so as to provide a good bearing surface for the end plates of the units, and the longitudinal members have thickened portions 61 which lead to the projecting ends of the cross Piece and further strengthen the yoke. The assembly of the main cushioning device is simple and if at any time, it is necessary to remove or replace plates, the yoke sections can be taken apart by cutting away the welding at the points 65 and removing the bolts.

In the installation of the cushioning units in the yoke, the units may be under relatively light compression sufficient to produce a workmanlike flt, but I prefer to install the units under a relatively high compression such that each unit will expand an amount equal to the shortening of the other unit as forces are applied to the yoke to compress the latter. When installed in the latter manner, the units are in continuous contact at one end with the abutments and at the other with the cross member of the yoke, and any movement of the yoke is resisted by one of the units. The cushioning action is, therefore, continuous and no spaces, representingfree slack, develop in the connections between the coupler and the car structure. It will be noted that in order that the units may function in the manner described, the end members of the yoke are spaced from the adjacent ends of the units, so that the yoke contacts with the units only through the cross member and yoke movements are not effective to Separate the end of either unit from its abutment.

I claim:

1. A yoke for use in a railway vehicle coupling and draft mechanism, which comprises a frame having an open center for the reception of a cushioning device, said frame being formed of a pair of complementary sections extending the full length of the frame, each section having a pair of longitudinal members connected by an end member and a second end member attached to one longitudinal member, and means for connecting the sections with their longitudinal members and rst end members lying face to face in one plane and their second end members lying face to face in another plane.

2. A yoke for use in a railway vehicle coupling and draft mechanism, which comprises a frame having an open center for the reception of a cushioning device, said frame being formed of a pair of complementary sections extending the full length of the frame, each section having a pair of longitudinal members and a pair of end members connected thereto, said sections iitting together with their longitudinal members and one end member of each section lying face to face in one plane and their other end members lying face to face in another plane, and means for securing the sections together.

3. A yoke for use in a railway vehicle coupling and draft mechanism, which comprises a frame having an open center for the reception of a cushioning device, said frame being formed of a pair of complementary sections extending the full length of the frame, each section having a pair of longitudinal members and a pair of end members connected thereto, one end member of each section being of knuckle form, said sections fitting together with their longitudinal members and one end member of each lying face to face in one plane and their other end members lying face to face in anotherA plane and cooperating to form a knuckle for reception of a pin, and means for securing the sections together..

4. In a railway vehicle, the combination of a yoke which comprises a frame made up of a pair of complementary sections extending lengthwise of the yoke, said sections having longitudinal members lying face to face in a plane and portions extending across the frame from one member to the other, the portions having contacting edges extending lengthwise thereof and transversely of the frame, said portions cooperating to form a cross member subdividing .the interior of the yoke into two compartments, and a cushioning device in each compartment.

5. In a railway vehicle, the combination of a yoke made up of a pair of longitudinal complementary sections extending lengthwise of the yoke, each section having a pair of longitudinal members connected by an end member, a second end member attached to one longitudinal member, intermediate members, and means for connecting the sections with their longitudinal members, intermediate members, and rst end members lying face to face in one plane and their second end members lying face to face in another plane, and a cushioning device comprising a pair of cushioning units lying within the yoke at opposite sides of the-intermediate members thereof.

WILLIAM I-I. MUSSEY. 

